Courtesy of Cara Mía Theatre.
Imperialism. Statelessness. Abandonment. Tyranny. Rebellion.
These are all themes that are expected to come through in Cara Mía Theatre’s production of Medea/Liturgia (written and directed by Diego Fernando Montoya), which will premiere at the Latino Cultural Center on Feb. 12.
Medea is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides in 431 BCE. If you’re familiar with the story of Jason, who beat the odds by retrieving the Golden Fleece, then Medea is somewhat of a sequel.
“(Jason) was kind of famous for going to nation state to nation state and either tricking people out of power and wealth or winning it over through force,” Cara Mía Theatre Artistic Executive Director David Lozano said.
Medea, a sorceress and Jason’s wife, helped him obtain the Golden Fleece. The fallout from the events of that story led Medea and Jason to live with King Creon of Corinth, but Jason then abandoned Medea to marry Creon’s daughter, Glauce.
As Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman would say: Big mistake. Huge.
Traditionally, the play Medea begins with this context in mind as Glauce prepares for her wedding to Jason. An emotionally wounded Medea swears revenge, and Creon tries to push her out of Corinth. As is standard in Greek tragedies, the play ends with death and grief. (If you want spoilers, you can find a summary here.)
“Greek theater is about tyranny in many ways in its relationship with the tyrant king, and sometimes the tragic hero is the tyrant king, such as Oedipus,” Lozano said. “In the case of Medea, once she loses her connection to the state, she’s stateless. She’s undocumented.”
If you are familiar with the play, then you know that Medea doesn’t exactly come off as particularly sympathetic by the end. Lozano said Cara Mía Theatre’s production isn’t meant to justify her actions but, instead, put the viewer in her shoes.
“You look at Medea, really, as kind of the person that is the most tragic figure and commits the horrific crime. But you also have to consider what these other characters are doing to her,” Lozano said. “She helps Jason betray her own family to take the Golden Fleece, and then … he says, ‘I’ve got to marry someone else. That’s the only way that I’m going to survive.’ So then, what is Medea going to do? That’s the question.”
Medea/Liturgia is a bilingual production, meaning the performers speak in both English and Spanish, and the languages used also play into the characterization of Jason and Medea.
“Medea is performed primarily in Spanish as the foreigner, and then Jason is also a foreigner, but he’s kind of made inroads. So Jason speaks English and Spanish,” Lozano said.
The “Liturgia” part of the adaptation’s title is supposed to evoke “real world resonance,” Lozano said.
“It’s not some dusty book on a bookshelf or a play that’s outdated,” he said.
Many works of theater give the audience something to reflect on. Lozano said Medea/Liturgia is meant to compel people watching it to ask, “What if?” and see that the events were not inevitable.
“What if Creon did this instead of this? What if he didn’t force Jason? (What if) Jason didn’t make a deal, or he tried something else?” he said. “You start unpeeling the possibilities, and you see that this didn’t have to happen.”
Medea/Liturgia runs through Feb. 22. Shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets (which can be bought here) for general admission are $25, but there are discounts for seniors, veterans and students. The show includes brief non-sexual nudity and isn’t meant for viewers under the age of 18 without parental guidance.
